This is quite a good recipe to make mid-week as most of the ingredients can be stored in your cupboard. I used a crunchy peanut butter to add more texture to the sauce and you can also add a pinch of chilli flakes for a slight kick. I had some soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) at home, but you could use any type you like. This is adapted from the Chinese recipe that is normally with pork, but I have kept this veggie.
Set two large saucepans to boil and salt one of them. Add the green beans to the salted pan and blanch for 3-4 minutes before draining and running over cold water.
In the second pan add the soba noodles and cook according to the packet’s instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the noodles from sticking. Put to one side. Use a peeler to create long strips with the cucumber. In a small bowl add all the ingredients together for the sauce and whisk together. Taste to check the seasoning is to your taste. Add cold water to loosen the sauce if desired. Toss together with the noodles, beans, cucumber and top with the coriander leaves, spring onion and sesame seeds. With the studio unfortunately having to close its doors again for a while, do not fear! Online classes will start up again. See below for what you can get stuck in to. onday 7pm HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT
30 MINUTE WORKOUT FOR THE WHOLE BODY, NO EQUIPMENT, NO SPACE, NO EXCUSE! These classes are suitable for those with a good base level of fitness. The focus of the class is to work the whole body, raising your heart rate, improve your strength and stamina whilst increasing your range of movement. Tuesday 6pm STRETCH CLASS - MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE Stretch, balance, mobility and coordination work to improve your overall health and wellbeing A 30 minute session, working from the feet up. Each class works through movement sequences that flow together, mobilising all the major joints, whilst stretching and strengthening the muscles that support them. These classes are suitable for all ages and abilities as the focus is to work the whole body, making sure that each joint is shown the range of movements they should experience on a daily basis, thus improving the mobility of each participant. If you move better, you will move more! Wednesday 12 STRETCH CLASS - MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE Thursday 7pm DYNAMIC STRETCH AND CORE CLASS* A more dynamic stretch class incorporating whole body exercise. A 30 minute session, working from the feet up. Each class works through movement sequences that flow together, mobilising all the major joints, whilst stretching and strengthening the muscles that support them. These classes are suitable for all ages and abilities as the focus is to work the whole body, making sure that each joint is shown the range of movements they should experience on a daily basis, thus improving the mobility of each participant. If you move better, you will move more! Friday 1pm STRETCH CLASS - MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE Saturday 9.30am HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT 30 MINUTE WORKOUT FOR THE WHOLE BODY, NO EQUIPMENT, NO SPACE, NO EXCUSE! *This class will incorporate exercises performed in a plank position. Those with shoulder, elbow or wrist conditions may be wise to opt for our regular stretch class. Here is a workout we recorded during lockdown 1 https://youtu.be/orpAnDTvzUU Plenty more like this on our membership site! This year try to do something different. Instead of writing a list of resolutions that burden rather than motivate you, focus on these 5 key areas to improve many aspects of your life and wellbeing. 1. Sleep well ![]() Poor sleep is linked to lack of concentration, weight gain, depression, suppressed immune system and inflammation. Whereas those who sleep well, have higher levels of concentration, perform better and overall consume fewer calories. Sleep, along with nutrition and exercise, form the foundation of optimal health. If you fail to take care of your sleep that optimum becomes significantly harder to achieve. 2. Exercise
Your body will thank you and consequently your performance will improve! With two long dark winter months ahead, getting outdoors for exercise can be difficult, but most experts agree that it is a great way to boost your mood. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins into the bloodstream, relieving pain and producing a feeling of well-being. Make the most of the daylight hours, get outside and enjoy the elements. As all Norwegians wilt el you, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing! 3. Healthy food choices What you eat has a significant impact in your energy levels and your ability to perform, fight off illness and infection and stay vibrant. You truly are what you eat. See our delicious recipe below and don’t forget the 100 or so recipes on our membership site! https://carlb1381c.clickfunnels.com/membership-area/ad7030de4f2 4. Just say NO
5. Invest in your relationships
more selfless than selfish, more supportive than undermining and have great sympathetic and empathetic traits. But finding wonderful, high quality people to be friends with and working at the friendship and keeping the connection will be one of the best investments you make. Friendships can bring great joy, inspiration, wisdom, emotional support, adventure, love and be that ‘safe space’ when needed most of all.
I discovered this recipe in the summer of Lockdown and cooked it a couple of times for friends, (socially distanced, outside) on a couple of occasions. Tempted to do this again at New Year. And you can get all of the beautiful fish ingredients just down the road from Woodchester at The Fine Fish Company https://www.thefinefishcompany.co.uk/
Method
With a year full of fears, uncertainties, and disappointments it might be difficult to find any positives in this year. But as I create our annual photo album, (Kristine’s Christmas Gift) it is plain to see that the year has had its plus highlights, creating memories that will stay with us for a very long time.
As a family we have encountered loss, experienced grief, closed the doors to our business, home schooled, and at times have faced too many challenges and too many uncertainties, that projecting the positive and optimistic has been challenging. However, we have made a point of finding things to be thankful for. We have discovered walks, admired scenery, slowed down, spent quality time, and learnt to appreciate our surroundings. Having time for ourselves has meant more exercise and not taking our health for granted. We feel blessed with the friendships we have and have been overwhelmed with the support that you and our team have given. Sometimes it is so easy to get so caught up in negative media and the day-to-day activities of our lives that we forget to notice the amazing things. Our 5 top tips to help you through this festive season:
This delicious recipe is adapted from Gjelina ‘Cooking from Venice Beach’ and although I was initially put off by the brining of the chicken, it’s certainly worth the effort. The braised kale makes a great accompaniment to this dish but could easily be eaten on its own!
PREPARATION
Place a large, heavy-bottomed, high-sided sauté pan or casserole dish over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they soften and begin to turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and smoked paprika, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste begins to caramelize, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add stock and vinegar, and allow to come to a boil. Add half the kale, cover, and cook for a minute or two, until it wilts. Repeat with remaining kale. Stir to incorporate the onion mixture into the soft kale and simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes, partly covered. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside in preparation for the chicken. Pre heat the oven to 260C. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper Heat a large oven proof frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add enough olive oil to coat the chicken. Place the breasts skin side down into the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, basting the chicken with the oil, fat and juices until the skin is well seared, about 3 minutes. Without flipping the chicken, move the pan to the hot oven and roast until crisp and golden, approx. 10 minutes Remove the chicken from the pan and discard some of the cooking fat. Add the braised kale, with enough of its cooking sauce to keep it moist. Nestle the chicken breasts skin side up and return to the oven. Cook until the chickens are cooked, 2-5 minutes approx. Remove the chicken and stir some more red wine vinegar into the pan. Spread the kale onto a serving plate and pour the juices over it and top with the chicken. Serve hot. Enjoy!
The result is that for a large portion of the day our spine is flexed. At the gym, you may perform loaded exercises like the deadlift, squat, kettlebell swing, or shoulder press. If your back rounds at all during those exercises, you are on a pathway to pain. “Imagine your disc like it’s a hamburger with lots of mustard,” says McGill. “When you squeeze the bun on one side, all the mustard shoots out the other.” Each vertebral disc in your spine is made of layers of collagen rings with a gel-like nucleus in the middle. When flexed under load, the rings become stressed and begin to loosen up and divide. If this occurs regularly under load, the gel begins to work its way out of those layers. Without ‘loading’ your spine, the gel would stay safely contained in the tough collagen rings. However, sitting all day, plus flexing your back during exercise causes the nucleus to squeeze through the loosened collagen layers. In the worst-case scenario, enough gel seeps through creating a disc bulge that presses on a nerve. Your body initiates an inflammatory response, which can cause muscle spasms and sometimes lead to excruciating pain. Suddenly, it hurts to bend over to put on your socks. Stopping exercise is not the answer but changing your gym routine and limiting your ‘sitting’ time will help. Performing a simple core routine that is easy on the spinal discs while creating as much stability and endurance as possible is the answer according to McGill. Finally, no matter how comfortable you are at your desk, prolonged, static posture is not good for your back. Try to remember to stand, stretch and walk at least a minute or two every half hour. Moving about and stretching on a regular basis throughout the day will help keep your joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons loose, which in turn will help you feel more comfortable, more relaxed, and more productive.
While it is a natural tendency to want to rest our backs by sitting rather than standing, in many cases it is bad sitting posture that’s contributing to the problem. Being mindful of preserving a correct sitting position, keeping core muscles toned to support the spine will help keep your back in its best possible shape.
For this they have chosen to focus on assisting us create opportunities within Personal Best for optimisation by identifying what crucially matters most to you, our clients and your ever evolving needs, plus how our business is perceived both online and offline.
The process has started and soon the students will be creating a short questionnaire for you to fill out if you so wish. More details on this in our next newsletter.
Being fit and healthy is not something you can achieve and then tick off on your bucket list, it is a lifelong journey that changes direction as we age and has to adapt to the challenges that life throws in our path. We would love to know your views on what fitness means to you. Here are a few in so far:
‘A healthier, better life’ ‘Being able to get down on the floor and play with my Grandchildren then being able to get back up!’ ‘Strengthening every muscle, building up my endurance and being totally flexible.’ ‘Feeling good and with more energy!’ ‘Outdoor headspace, trying to stop my body from going ‘south’ too quickly and making room for my favourite foods and drink!’ E-mail me [email protected] with your view on what fitness means to you. |
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